


such a funny thing for me to try to explain

by ohmyreylo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben can read minds, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Mind Reading, kinda force bond, started from crack and now we're here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2019-10-26 02:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17737394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyreylo/pseuds/ohmyreylo
Summary: Suddenly, Rey sees a tweet that catches her attention."sometimes i say 'i know you can read my mind' in my head just in case someone is reading my thoughts lol"Rey can’t help herself. Of course, she knows that no one can actually read minds. But, to satisfy her own never ending curiosity, she says it loud and clear in her mind, silencing any other thoughts: I know you can read my mind.When she glances up from her phone, she sees a man a few meters away staring at her.A reylo modern college AU with a force bond (kinda).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic and I'm so excited to share it with you all! I appreciate any suggestions or constructive criticism!

The weirdest day of Rey’s life begins the same as any other day. 

 

The obnoxious beeping of an alarm clock jolts the snoring girl from her deep sleep. Rey untangles one arm from her crumpled sheets to slam the snooze button before rolling over and letting sleep overtake her again. Five minutes later she hits snooze again. The third time she reluctantly sits up in bed and tries rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Rey could never understand morning people. Her roommate was one of them. Rose Tico wakes up every morning smiling, bright eyed, and ready to face the day.  _ How annoying.  _ Rey thinks, fighting off the urge to lay down again _.  _

 

Gathering the motivation to get out of bed, she notices that it’s completely silent.  _ Rose must have already left for the day.  _ She concludes. Spending time with her boyfriend, Finn, probably. If Rose were still here, her presence would be known. The bubbly girl was always making some kind of noise: humming, singing, even talking to herself (which Rey pretended not to hear). The two girls had become quick friends after Rey had answered Rose’s ad for a roommate. Between the both of them, they were able to afford a decent apartment right on campus. It was small, but cozy, and they both had their own bedroom. Neither of them had ever had a space that was completely their own like this. And better yet, Rose gave her friend complete decorative control of the space. For an interior design major, this was the dream. 

 

Finally deciding that it is now or never, Rey throws her legs over the side of her bed and slowly makes her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After showering, she dries her hair and fashions her brown tresses into her typical three buns. She pulls her favorite hoodie over her head, shimmies into her most comfortable jeans, and puts on her usual black sneakers. She glances in the mirror a final time as she throws her overstuffed backpack over her shoulder. _Not bad._ _And, I’ll even make it to class early._

 

Rey pulls her phone out of her jacket pocket as she begins her walk to class. She’s found that pretending to answer a very important text message is the best way to avoid making awkward eye contact with people as they pass. And she is  _ very  _ skilled at that. Staring at the home screen of her smartphone, her eyes sweep over the apps and find that she has no texts or other notifications. Besides the hundreds of unread emails, of course, but as she tells herself every morning,  _ I’ll get to that later.  _

 

Sighing, she opens Twitter. After scrolling for a couple of minutes and frequently looking up to make sure she doesn’t walk into anything (or anyone), she sees a tweet that catches her attention.

  
  


**mads     @heartofbellamy   **

sometimes i say “i know you can read my mind” in my head just in case someone is reading my thoughts lol

  
  


Rey can’t help herself. Of course, she knows that no one can actually read minds. But, to satisfy her own never ending curiosity, she says it loud and clear in her mind, silencing any other thoughts.  _ I know you can read my mind. _

 

This time, when Rey glances up from her phone, she sees a man a few meters away looking at her.  _ No, he isn’t just  _ looking  _ at me.  _ She realizes. _ He is  _ staring  _ right at me. _ Rey notices that he must have just dropped his coffee, as the dark liquid is quickly spreading across the sidewalk in front of him, even as his eyes continue to stay fixed on hers.  _ What is he doing? _ Rey asks herself.  _ Do I really look  _ that  _ bad today?  _

 

It’s at that time that the mystery man seems to get ahold of himself and realize that he is not only blocking the path, but his hot coffee is now soaking into his suede shoes and running down the cracks of the sidewalk. Rey watches as he hastily digs through his messenger bag to find something to clean up the mess. Slowly, she comes back to her senses as well. Now that the trance is broken, Rey quickly shakes her head to clear her thoughts and continues on her way to class. She’ll have to process all of this later. She wasn’t going to be late for Professor Holdo’s class  _ again. _

 

* * *

 

 

The next two hours crawl by at an agonizing pace. Rey tries to pay attention to the lecture, she really does. It seems that her mind does not want to cooperate. The events of earlier that morning play through her head in an endless loop. The intense gaze of his deep brown eyes is all she can see. All she can hear is the question that has been echoing in the back of her mind since it happened:  _ Why?   _

 

As far as she can remember, they have never met before. _No, definitely not. I would have remembered him_. Her initial thought is that it is because of how she looks today, but certainly that couldn’t be the case. She dressed casually today, sure, but not _awful._ Does she have something on her face? A quick look of her reflection in her phone screen debunks that theory as well. It’s not that Rey is _angry_ that a (very attractive) stranger couldn’t take his eyes off her this morning. It’s the look in his eyes as he did so that has her heart racing even though she’s been sitting in class for well over an hour now. The look on his face wasn’t one of disgust. No, it was quite the opposite, actually. He looked...well...Rey can’t find the right word to describe it, but amazed came closest. The man’s eyes were widened and his full lips parted as he gazed at Rey with an intensity that no one had ever looked at her with before. If she were trying to be cliche, she would say that it nearly took her breath away.

 

The sounds of chairs scraping against the ground and books being shuffled into bags drags Rey out of her own head and back into reality. Apparently she spent the  _ entire  _ class daydreaming.  _ Dreaming _ . Maybe that’s what’s happening to her. Mind reading is impossible, after all. She’ll probably wake up in a few minutes and laugh at this whole thing.  _ But,  _ she thinks,  _ it can’t hurt to test it again.  _ That’s why she once again attempts to clear her head of every other thought and thinks as loudly and clearly as she can.  _ Meet me by the fountain in ten minutes. _

 

* * *

 

Rey can barely hear herself think over the loud splashing of water behind her. Tapping her foot impatiently, she checks the time on her phone again. It’s been well over ten minutes.  _ That’s it. He’s not coming. _ It was all in her imagination. Ignoring the waves of disappointment flooding her system, she stands up from the bench she had been sitting on and slings her book bag onto her shoulder, stealing another glance behind her in the process. Still nothing. Rey takes a deep breath and exhales, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips into a thin line as she mentally scolds herself.  _ What did you expect to happen?  _

 

Opening her eyes, Rey turns to go and stops dead in her tracks. Suddenly, all she can hear is her own rapid heart beat as she finds herself looking at the face of the very man she has been waiting for. And he has the exact same look in his eyes as he did the first time. 

  
Suddenly Rey knows the right word to describe it. The word that she could not think of just a few hours before. She knows exactly what emotion is etched all across his face and filling those beautiful eyes. _ Wonder. That’s what it is.  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not wasting any time, Rey demands, “Explain.”
> 
> He looks down as if to collect his thoughts, before letting out a deep breath and anxiously running a hand through his hair. “I’ve never had to explain this to anyone before,” he begins slowly. “I don’t think you’ll believe me.” 
> 
> “Try me.” Rey wasn’t leaving without an explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's been a hot minute, hasn't it? Sorry the update took so long. There shouldn't be another wait this long between chapters. 
> 
>  
> 
> Again, this is my first fic so let me know what you like, what questions you have, typos I've made (this chapter is unbeta'd), or any suggestions. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

“We should sit down for this.”

 

Rey was glad he spoke first because she doubts she would’ve been able to formulate a coherent thought at that moment, let alone speak. She was taken aback by how casual he seemed about all this.

 

“Do you, uh, want to get something for lunch?” he asked, gesturing in the direction of The Outpost, Niima University’s cafeteria. Appropriately named, because it was farther away than any other building on the campus.

 

_ He cuts right to the chase, doesn’t he?  _ All Rey could manage was a stiff nod of her head. Apparently, this was all the confirmation he needed, because he turned on his heel and began walking at a swift pace to The Outpost. For a moment, all she could do was stand there gawking at where the man had been standing.  _ So… this is really happening. _

 

Slowly regaining her senses, Rey started to chase after him. 

 

“Hey!” she yelled in his direction. “Hey! Y- oh! Sorry!” The papers that were in the unfortunate woman’s hands flew into the air. Still muttering apologies, Rey paused to quickly help her collect her things. After everything had been picked up, Rey resumed her chase. “You! Wait…” she trailed off, realizing that he was far gone at this point, lost in the crowd of other college students going about their  _ normal _ day.  _ How lucky they are.  _ Rolling her eyes, she slowed her run to a brisk walk and managed to go the rest of her journey without incident.

 

* * *

 

Rey was able to locate him almost immediately after entering the building. While he stood by an empty table, scanning the crowd for her, she was able to get a good look at him for the first time. 

 

He was dressed nicely, but not nice enough to look out of place. He wore a navy blue sweater under a dark unbuttoned coat, perfectly fitted black pants, and black suede shoes.  _ Wow, is he tall. This guy is  _ huge. Even under his two layers, she could tell that he was hiding some considerable muscles. With that serious expression on his face, she thought that he appeared quite intimidating. 

 

Rey could tell from their first encounter that he was attractive, but being able to study his face unashamedly, she decided that he was perhaps the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. His wavy dark brown hair was cut into layers that perfectly framed his face and covered his ears. The man’s pronounced nose and strong jawline reminded her of something she’d seen in a sculpture. Right as her gaze began to drift to his full lips, she noticed his eyes on her. Rey hoped he would attribute the color rising into her cheeks to her long walk in the January weather. 

 

* * *

 

Now, both having gotten their food and sat down, they look at one another from across the table. 

 

Not wasting any time, Rey demands, “Explain.”

 

He looks down as if to collect his thoughts, before letting out a deep breath and anxiously running a hand through his hair. “I’ve never had to explain this to anyone before,” he begins slowly. “I don’t think you’ll believe me.” 

 

“Try me.” Rey wasn’t leaving without an explanation. 

 

Another deep breath. “My parents noticed it before I did. I knew things- things they never told me.” He says it all very quick, as if the sooner he gets it out the better. “Every year, I knew everything they got me for Christmas. Nothing was ever a surprise to me. When I got a little older, and I started to realize what I could do, they told me what it was. They called it the Force. It’s a…” he pauses, searching for the right word. “... connection I have to other people’s minds, to their thoughts. I could hear them in my head when they got close to me. I didn’t even have to try.” At this point he once again meets her eyes, as if gauging her response. Rey tries her best to remain expressionless. Apparently it works, because his eyes return to his still-steaming bowl of soup and he continues. “It terrified my parents. They thought my ability would be... taken advantage of if anyone found out. So, they took me to the only person they knew could help me: my uncle, Luke.” His voice turned cold. This was apparently a sore subject for him. As much as Rey wanted all of the answers, she felt this question would best be left alone. “He was like me. Except he knew how to control it. For the next few years, I spent every weekend and summer with him. He taught me how to repress it, to silence the noise. And it worked, too. Until today.” 

 

When he looks into her eyes this time, Rey’s convinced he’s staring straight into her soul.  _ Maybe he is. The man can read minds, after all.  _

 

“You were able to cut through.  _ Just you _ . How?” His eyes are more calculating now. Cold, almost. As if he thinks she did this on purpose. 

 

Rey can’t help it. She laughs.

 

It’s not just a light chuckle. No, this is one of those full body laughs. She’s leaning forward in her chair, head thrown back, and hands flying to her face to catch the tears escaping the outer corners of her squinted eyes. If they were anywhere other than a crowded college cafeteria, she’d likely get a few concerned, or irritated, glances thrown in her direction. 

 

When she finally calms herself, she notices that he doesn’t seem to share her amusement. He keeps that same cold, calculating expression that he had before her outburst.

 

“You really think  _ I  _ did this?” she asks incredulously.

 

When his expression still doesn’t budge, she continues, “ _ I _ was on my way to class, minding my business, when YOU-” She points an accusatory finger at him. “- did that- that  _ THING _ and now we’re here and you’re telling me that you can read minds and you- you  _ really _ expect me to believe that?”

 

Now that she’s said it all out loud she’s certain she must be going crazy. Both of them. Or maybe he’s not even real at all and this is all just a figment of her imagination.

 

He presses his lips together. Then, in a voice somewhere between annoyed and angry, says, “In case you forgot,  _ you  _ were the one that started all this. You said-  _ thought _ , ‘I know you can read my mind’.”

 

_ Oh. Right. _

 

“Now it’s your turn to explain.”

 

How was she going to explain this?  _ Now he’ll think  _ I’m  _ the crazy one.  _ “It was just a joke. Something I saw on Twitter. Trust me, I did  _ not  _ expect that to happen... I didn’t expect  _ anything  _ to happen.” 

 

“Okay.” He sighs, sitting back in his chair. “I know how this sounds. If you never want to see me again and pretend that this never happened, I wouldn’t blame you at all.”

 

_ Tempting _ . Except maybe the part about never seeing each other again. His is a face she’d definitely like to see more of. 

 

She waits for him to say something else. That this was all an elaborate prank that one of her friends put him up to. That there’s a hidden camera somewhere and that she’ll be seeing this on YouTube soon. But he says nothing. His eyes bore into hers for a beat longer before he looks down again, waiting for Rey to pass her judgement.

 

“I...I believe you.” 

 

His head snaps up at this and when she looks into his eyes she tries to ignore the little leap her heart does. There’s just so much  _ emotion _ . So much relief. But also surprise. 

 

“You do?”

 

She nods. Rey doesn’t know why, or how, but she does.

 

“But, just to prove it- what am I thinking right now?”

 

He eyes her silently for a moment and then, “Besides wondering  _ how much _ of your thoughts I’m going to see, you’re thinking that your food is going to get cold if you don’t eat it soon.”

 

Eyes wide, she slowly leans back in her chair. “Wow. That’s amazing. Seriously. You’re good.”

 

His mouth does a funny thing as his eyes return to his food. Both of them sit there for a moment, neither knowing what to say or where to go from here.

 

_Well, there’s no reason to waste perfectly good food._ And, she was right. It _is_ starting to get cold. So, Rey, not one to waste _anything_ , picks up her cheeseburger and takes a huge bite. _Mmm._

 

“God, I love hamburger day.” She gets out between chews, not bothering to swallow first. 

 

This man looks terrified at her lack of manners.  _ He’s probably the type to eat hamburgers with a fork and knife _ . 

 

“I can tell.” He says, with a hint of amusement in his voice. After he’s completely swallowed his modest spoonful of soup, of course.

 

They eat in silence for a few more minutes before Rey checks the time on her phone and fails to suppress a groan. “I have to be at work soon. I’m sorry. I really should be going.” She shoves a few more fries in her mouth as she collects her things. 

 

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry for keeping you.” He really does sound apologetic and Rey can’t help but think that it’s almost cute. 

 

Before thinking, she blurts, “Could I have your number? You know, for… questions? I do believe you, but I’m not letting you off the hook this easily.”

 

“May I?” He gestures to her phone, which Rey gives to him after opening her contacts.

 

After he’s entered his number and handed the device back, she shoulders her bookbag, holding her trash in one hand and she stands to leave. To her surprise, the man gets up as well, quickly collecting his own things and exits the cafeteria alongside her. 

 

When they’ve stepped back into the chilly weather, he meets her eyes and lifts up the corner of his lips in an almost grin. “I guess this is goodbye.”

 

“For now.” She tells him with a grin of her own.

 

“For now.” He repeats, not once taking his intense gaze off of her. 

 

“I really should get going.” Rey tells him, reluctantly breaking the spell.

 

Nodding, he swiftly replies. “Yeah. Yeah, me too.” 

 

Both wave in parting before going their separate ways. 

 

“Wait!” She nearly yells and runs the few steps to where he’d stopped as soon as he heard her. “I still don’t know your name.”

 

“Ben. My name’s Ben. And yours is…?”

 

“Rey.” She smiles. “It was nice to meet you, Ben.”

 

Offering her another of those not-quite grins, he says, “Yeah. Yeah, it was nice to meet you too, Rey.”

 

* * *

 

She fell into bed that night after a long day at work but the events from earlier played behind her eyes in a loop, making it nearly impossible for her to go to sleep. When her exhaustion eventually claimed her, the last conscious thought she had was of the sound of her name on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos, comments, etc are much appreciated :) Let me know your questions, suggestions, whatever!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @riseofreylo

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, please drop a kudos or comment to encourage me to continue! 
> 
> Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, or what you want to see!


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